Criterion-related validity of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory in a prison sample.

The Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; S. 0. Lilienfeld & B. P. Andrews, 1996), a self-report measure of psychopathic personality features, and R. D. Hare's (1991) Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL–R) were administered to adult youthful offender prison inmates (N?=?50). As hypothesized, PPI scores were significantly correlated with scores on the PCL–R, providing evidence of concurrent validity for the PPI. Moreover, unlike existing self-report psychopathy measures, the PPI showed a moderate and positive correlation with PCL–R Factor 1 (i.e., the core personality traits of psychopathy). Discriminant function analysis using the optimal PPI total score value to predict PCL–R classifications of psychopath (n?=?10) and nonpsychopath (n?=?40) resulted in accurate classification of 86% of the cases (sensitivity?=?.50, specificity?=?.95). Results are discussed in terms of the relative merits of these 2 measures of psychopathy and the validation of the PPI for clinical use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening for malingering in a criminal-forensic sample with the Personality Assessment Inventory.

In this study, the authors examined how overreporting of psychopathology indices on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. C. Morey, 1991) performed as screening measures for malingering in a sample of 166 defendants undergoing pretrial court-ordered evaluations in the federal criminal justice system. Using results from the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS; R. Rogers, R. M. Bagby, & S. E. Dickens, 1992) as the criterion measure of malingering, the authors found that the Negative Impression scale (NIM) was the most effective PAI screening measure (cut score ≥ 81T). NIM performed as well as an established comparison measure from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2 (J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989; Infrequency [F] cut score ≥ 95T), supporting the use of either of these indices as reasonable screening measures to identify potential malingerers for subsequent evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical reliabilities and validities of the Basic Personality Inventory.

Using 112 adult patients from three psychiatric facilities, we examined the psychometric properties of the Basic Personality Inventory (BPI) scales. No differences across facilities were found, but there were sex differences on some of the scales. Reliability information suggested that the scales were internally consistent. Clinical staff ratings were used as criteria, and results demonstrated that scales possessed both convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, the findings strongly support the clinical application of the Basic Personality Inventory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response styles and faking on the Basic Personality Inventory.

Examined the influence of response styles and explored approaches to detect faking on the Basic Personality Inventory (BPI). The BPI is a construct-based inventory designed to measure traditional areas of pathological content. Three groups of Ss completed the BPI: 182 normal adults, 404 psychiatric inpatients, and 180 undergraduates. The latter group completed the BPI with instructions to either fake good, fake bad, or straight take. The BPI was scored for several measures of stylistic responding as well as for its 12 scales. Results of instructions to fake, of the incidence of stylistic responding, and of the detection of faking using 3-discriminant functions are reported. The effects of manipulation and of incidence of stylistic responding on the BPI are also discussed. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological correlates of functional dysphonia: an investigation using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

Abnormal psychological factors have been implicated in the development of functional dysphonia (FD). This investigation describes the personality and psychological characteristics of 25 female subjects who had received the diagnosis of FD. In all subjects symptoms were resolved after voice therapy. While vocally asymptomatic, these remitted subjects with FD completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), an objective personality questionnaire. When compared with a medical outpatient control group, the results showed that subjects with FD scored significantly higher on 7 of 10 clinical scales, suggesting an elevated degree of emotional maladjustment. A stepwise logistic discriminant analysis identified 2 clinical scales that provided valuable discriminatory power between the two groups. Scale 1 (Hs-hypochondriasis), which measures the number and type of reported somatic complaints, and scale 7 (Pt-psychasthenia), a measure of diffuse anxiety, discriminated the groups with 88% sensitivity and 89% specificity. The results suggested that in spite of symptom improvement after voice therapy, the subjects with FD continued to exhibit poor levels of adaptive functioning, which may represent trait-like vulnerability. The clinical implications of these results for voice practitioners are discussed.     

Personality and drunk driving: Identification of DUI types using the Hogan Personality Inventory.

200 persons arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), 30 social drinkers, 30 depressed patients, 30 incarcerated criminals, and 30 alcoholics completed the Hogan Personality Inventory ([HPI]; R. Hogan, 1986) and Court Reporting Network (CRN) interview. A cluster analysis of HPI scores for the DUI group revealed 5 personality types: Impulsive-Extravert, Normal, Neurotic-Introvert, Neurotic-Hostile, and Unassertive-Conformist. The types differed predictably on demographic variables, drinking behavior, and driving records as assessed by the CRN. The Impulsive-Extravert and Normal types had HPI profiles similar to social drinkers. The Neurotic-Introvert type most resembled depressed patients, and the Neurotic-Hostile type most resembled incarcerated criminals. Results clarify previous findings on DUI personality types and establish a basis for tailoring therapeutic treatments to different types of DUI offenders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI): Findings from a large incarcerated sample.

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; S. O. Lilienfeld, 1990; S. O. Lilienfeld & B. P. Andrews, 1996) with a community sample has suggested that the PPI subscales may comprise 2 higher order factors (S. D. Benning, C. J. Patrick, B. M. Hicks, D. M. Blonigen, & R. F. Krueger, 2003). However, substantive and structural evidence raises concerns about the viability of this 2-factor model, particularly in offender populations. The authors attempted to replicate the S. D. Benning et al. 2-factor solution using a large (N = 1,224) incarcerated male sample. Confirmatory factor analysis of this model resulted in poor model fit. Similarly, using the same EFA procedures as did S. D. Benning et al., the authors found little evidence for a 2-factor model. When they followed the recommendations of J.-W. van Prooijen and W. A. van der Kloot (2001) for recovering EFA solutions, model fit results provided some evidence that a 3-factor EFA solution could be recovered via confirmatory factor analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure and construct validity of the Basic Personality Inventory with juvenile offenders.

Cross-validated the previously identified factor structure of the Basic Personality Inventory (BPI) with the structure found in the responses of 1,233 young offenders (mean age about 14 yrs) and demonstrated the construct validity of BPI factor scores by discriminating subgroups within the offender sample. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detecting over- and underreporting of psychopathology with the Spanish-language Personality Assessment Inventory: Findings from a simulation study with bilingual speakers.

Existing research on the Spanish-language translation of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. C. Morey, 1991) suggests that the validity scales from the English- and Spanish-language versions may not be equivalent measures. In the current study, 72 bilingual participants completed both the English- and Spanish-language versions of the PAI under the instructions to respond honestly, to overreport psychopathology for an insanity case, or to underreport psychopathology for an employment evaluation. Overall, the English- and Spanish-language validity scales performed similarly, and scores from the Negative Impression Management and the Positive Impression Management scales demonstrated the highest levels of equivalence and accuracy for the identification of simulators across language versions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and vocational interests in an adult sample.

Examined the relations between vocational typology developed by the 3rd author (1966, 1973) and the neuroticism–extraversion–openness (NEO) model of personality presented by the 1st 2 authors (1980) among 217 males and 144 females, aged 21–89 yrs. Young and old adult groups were similar to college students in most vocational interests, and the same pattern of sex differences was found. Correlations between Self-Directed Search and NEO inventory scores showed strong associations of investigative and artistic interests with openness to experience, and of social and enterprising interests with extraversion. Ss interested primarily in conventional occupations tended to be closed to experience. These associations were generally confirmed when spouse ratings were used as a non-self-report measure of personality traits in a subset of the Ss. The NEO Inventory complements the Holland typology, primarily in providing measures of neuroticsm. Research on the possible utility of supplementing vocational interest data with personality measures is suggested, and some implications for vocational counseling among older adults are discussed. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting recidivism with the Personality Assessment Inventory in a sample of sex offenders screened for civil commitment as sexually violent predators.

We examined the ability of scores from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) to predict postrelease (M = 4.90 years follow-up) arrests in a sample of 1,412 sex offenders. We focused on scores from 4 PAI measures conceptually relevant to offending, including the Antisocial Features (ANT), Aggression (AGG), and Dominance (DOM) scales, as well as the Violence Potential Index (VPI). Scores from several PAI measures demonstrated small- to medium-sized effects in predicting violent nonsexual recidivism, nonviolent recidivism, and sex offender registry violations, with the AGG scale being the strongest (d = 0.50 for violent nonsexual recidivism, d = 0.55 for sex offender registry violations) and most consistent predictor of recidivism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Readability of the Personality Inventory for Children.

Applied 3 readability formulas differing in criterion for comprehension to the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC), PIC—Revised, and abbreviated forms of the PIC to investigate overall readability. Reading difficulty ranged from the 5th- to 6th-grade level for the least stringent formula to the mid-7th-grade level for the most stringent formula, and readability of abbreviated forms approximated readability of the entire PIC. It is recommended that mid-6th-grade reading skills be required of PIC respondents. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of age, sex, and race bias in the Personality Inventory for Children.

The question of whether children's ability tests are biased has received much attention, but the same issue regarding children's personality tests has been neglected. In this study, the authors evaluated whether the external validity of the PIC, a parent-informant measure of child psychological status, was moderated by age, sex, or race. Using a hierarchical multiple-regression algorithm within a clinic-referred sample, it was found that child race and sex generally did not moderate the relation of PIC scales to symptoms checklists completed by clinicians, teachers, and parents. Some expected relations were modified by child age. Implications for the potential use of the PIC as an unbiased personality measure are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirical validation of the Marital Satisfaction Inventory in a nonclinical sample.

50 couples from the general population were interviewed conjointly using the Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI), and spouses were rated separately on a 76-item checklist pertaining to various aspects of their marriage. The mean age of the sample was 36.9 yrs. Subsequent analyses identified 269 significant Scale?×?Criterion correlations, including 203 replicated in independent mixed subsamples. Both the overall distribution and relative magnitude of correlations supported the basic interpretive intent of MSI scales. Discussion contrasts current results with previous findings using distressed samples and addresses implications for clinical use of the MSI. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor analysis of the Children's Depression Inventory in a community sample.

The factor structure of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI; M. Kovacs, 1992) was evaluated in a large community sample of 1,777 children and 924 adolescents. There were 5 first-order factors (Externalizing, Dysphoria, Self-Deprecation, School Problems, and Social Problems) for the child group; the adolescent group yielded the same 5 factors plus a 6th factor (Biological Dysregulation). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the stability and replicability of the obtained factor structures. Both samples yielded 2 higher order factors—Internalizing and Externalizing. The factors were compared with previous CDI factors identified for clinical (B. Weiss et al., 1991) and community (M. Kovacs, 1992) samples. Other notable findings included more boys reporting high scores (17 and above) on the CDI among the child sample, whereas, among adolescents more girls reported high scores (17 and above) on the total CDI as well as higher scores on the biological dysregulation factor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical validation of the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory.

The clinical validity of the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI; F. M. Cheung, K. Leung, et al., 1996) was examined in 2 studies involving a group of 167 male prisoners in Hong Kong and a group of 339 psychiatric patients in China. Elevated scores on the clinical scales were obtained for the clinical samples. Logistic regression analyses confirmed that the CPAI scales were useful in differentiating between male prisoners and the Hong Kong male normative sample and between psychiatric patients and a random sample of normal adults in China. Multivariate analyses of variance results showed significant differences on the CPAI clinical scales and personality scales among subgroups of psychiatric patients with diagnoses of bipolar, schizophrenic, and neurotic disorders. The usefulness of an indigenous personality inventory is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting police officer performance using the Inwald Personality Inventory: An illustration from Appalachia.

Psychologists in rural areas are sometimes called on to assist in police officer selection. In the present study, the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI) was used to predict police officers' performance. Ratings for 33 officers hired over 4 years, along with IPI scores, were tested statistically. Four variables—elevated scores on the Driving Violations and Lack of Assertiveness scales and lowered scores on the Type A and Rigid Type scales—significantly predicted officers who were rated poorly or terminated. Although the specific findings may not generalize to other rural areas, this exploratory study suggests that the IPI may be useful in such evaluations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Personal Orientation Inventory and the Eysenck Personality Inventory as outcome measures in a private outpatient clinic.

Administered the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) to 221 psychotherapy patients participating in a programmatic, ongoing therapeutic modality and to 134 undergraduates serving as a comparison group. Results indicate a shift toward the self-actualizing POI profile with increasing time in therapy, replicating the findings of previous research. EPI results indicated increasing Extraversion and decreasing Neuroticism scores with increasing time in therapy. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concurrent validity of the Minnesota Child Development Inventory in a nonclinical sample.

Investigated the criterion-related validity of the Minnesota Child Development Inventory (MCDI) in 103 30-mo-olds. Results show that (a) MCDI scales correlated with cognitive but not motor development as measured by the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities and (b) the MCDI accurately identified Ss performing below normal in general cognitive development. Findings demonstrate that the MCDI is a valid and clinically useful cognitive developmental screening instrument for preschoolers in the general population. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)